 These cupcakes are perfect for a small family. You can serve them at breakfast in the morning with some fresh fruits, or with your afternoon cup of tea, or serve them after dinner as dessert. Furthermore, you can slice them in half, fill them with guava paste and put the top back. Or you can spread the guava on top and garnish with a mint leave. Winners! Category: DESSERT Approx. Prep and Cook Time: 35 Minutes Approximate Cost: $3.41 or .68 cents per cupcake Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: NOT Gluten Free Servings: 5 to 6 regular cupcakes size Ingredients 1 very ripe (black) banana (mashed) (.20) ½ c. All-purpose flour (.25) ½ tsp. baking soda (.10) ½ tsp. Cinnamon (.10) ½ tsp. Nutmeg (.10) ½ tsp. ground ginger (.10) Pinch salt (0) 1 egg at room temperature (.16) ½ c. organic sugar (.30) 2 tbsp. brown sugar (.10) ¼ c. unsalted butter .60) 1 tbsp. peanut oil (.20) 1 tsp. vanilla extract ($1.00) ½ c. evaporated milk (or buttermilk, or almond milk) (.20) Directions
HACK: Homemade Buttermilk: There are a couple of ways to make 1 cup of buttermilk if we don’t have it at home when a recipe calls for it. I mix ½ c. of milk with 1 ½ tsp. of lemon juice (or vinegar). I wait until the milk start to separate the fat from the water, then add more milk to complete 1 cup. Done.
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 Poke bowls are here to stay. It is so simple to make them. Choose a protein, chop some colorful veggies and boom, you are done, smile. Category: Entrée Approx. Prep and Cook Time: 35 Minutes Approximate Cost: $9.65 or $4.83 per serving Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: Gluten Free Servings: 2 Ingredients 2 salmon steaks ($4.50) 1 tbsp. Cilantro Lime Dry Seasoning (.20) 1 tbsp. Angie’s basting olive oil (.50) 2 c. purple cabbage, shredded (.50) 1 lemon, 2 slices Poblano pepper and 1 carrot ($1.00) 1 tsp. Sesame seeds to-taste to sprinkle over final dish (.20) 1 avocado ($1.25) 1 c. Quinoa, 2 c. broth, 1 tsp. Cilantro Lime Dry Seasoning 1 tbsp. basting oil ($1.50) Directions In a saucepan on med-high bring to a boil the broth, Cilantro Lime,1 tbsp. basting oil. Add the quinoa, stir, reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook for about 25 minutes. Pat dry and season the salmon with 1 tbsp. Cilantro Lime Seasoning and 1 tbsp. Angie’s basting olive oil. Refrigerate. Shred the cabbage, slice the lemon, prep and peel the carrot. set aside. When the quinoa is ready, start searing the salmon until golden brown. When done, start plating with quinoa and add all the garnishing. Done! Enjoy! Angie’s Basting Olive Oil: www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/the-flavor-series-recipe-2-angies-basting-olive-oi  Muffins are no rocket science to make. Sometimes we need something sweet in the morning to go with our coffee. These muffins can be done the night before, store in a sealed container and enjoy the next day. I would warm them up, add some butter and boom, I am set for the day! Category: BREAKFAST Approx. Prep and Cook Time: 35 minutes Approximate Cost: $3.96 or .40 cents each Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: NOT-Gluten Free (unless you use GF Flour, I prefer 1 to 1 GF flour) Servings: 10 med-size muffins Ingredients 1 c. all-purpose flour (.90) ½ tsp. baking powder (.10) Pinch of salt (0) ½ stick of butter, softened at room temperature (.50) ½ c. sugar (.20) 1 egg (.16) 1 tsp. vanilla ($1.00) ¼ c. sour cream or buttermilk (.20) ½ c. of fresh or frozen blueberries (.90) Directions Start your oven at 350 degrees. Use paper wraps (or a muffin baking mold and oil spray it) Add the flour, salt and baking powder to a med-size bowl, whisk well to combine. In another bowl add the soft butter and sugar, with the hand mixer cream well, then add the egg and vanilla slowly and whisk until all is combined. Add half the flour mixture, mix just until its combined. Then add the other half of flour with the sour cream, mix until all is combined. Finally, carefully fold in the blueberries. With a small size ice cream scoop, fill the muffin wraps or the baking mold. Place in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes or so, depending on your over, since all ovens are calibrated differently. Do not open the oven but check to see if they look done and towards the last minute just test with a tooth pick. Enjoy!  WHY? Because this is some serious healthy veggie that we must eat often. And yeah, I know, French fries are yummy, especially with tons of salt and ketchup. But wait, they are not healthy-good for anyone. Seriously, it is time that we all make changes to live longer and healthier. Therefore, why not switch from deep fried French fried potatoes to oven roasted sweet potatoes? Smart right? Category: SIDE Approx. Prep and Cook Time: 35 minutes Approximate Cost: $2.75 or .92 cents per serving Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: Gluten Free X Vegetarian X Servings: 3+ Ingredients 2 large sweet potatoes ($1.50) ¼ c. Angie’s basting olive oil ($1.25) Directions
My Link: Angie’s Basting Olive Oil: www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/the-flavor-series-recipe-2-angies-basting-olive-oil  Following yesterday’s post, this is just one of many recipes where Yautía can be used instead of potatoes. Root veggies are delicious and creamy. You can also mash the Yautía and drizzle a sauce over it, or olive oil and your favorite seasoning and boom, another option to eat this dish. Category: Entrée Approx. Prep and Cook Time: 35 Minutes Approximate Cost: $9.00 or $3.00 per serving Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: Gluten Free Servings: 3+ Ingredients 1 large Yautía, boiled and drained (.95) 3 small red potatoes, peeled, boiled, drained (.40) 1 lb. 99% fat free ground turkey ($5.45) 5 garlic cloves, chopped (.20) 1 tbsp. Angie’s dry seasoning (.30) 1 ½ tbsp. Angie’s basting olive oil (.45) 1 ½ c. chicken stock, (homemade or purchased) ($1.00) ¼ c. chopped herbs such as Greek and Italian oregano, cilantro, thyme, etc. (.25) Directions In a saucepan with lightly salted water, boil the yautia and potatoes until tender. Drain. Meantime, season the turkey with the chopped garlic, chopped herbs,1 tbsp. of my dry seasoning, and ½ tbsp. of my basting olive oil. With an ice cream scoop, make the meatballs and sauté until golden. Carefully, add 1 ½ c. chicken stock and simmer until the sauce becomes a bit thick. Plate the yautia and potatoes, then add the golden meatballs and drizzle gravy all over. Angie’s Dry Seasonings: http://www.angieslifehacks.com/family-life/oven-roasted-bacon-chicken-and-angies-seasonings Angie’s Basting Olive Oil: www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/the-flavor-series-recipe-2-angies-basting-olive-oil  If you like potatoes, then meet the veggie that taste way much better than potatoes, the Yautía. Yautía is a starchy tropical root veggie mostly used in Caribbean, African and South American cuisines. It is also called Malanga. It comes in white and in purple colors, (my favorite). To use it, you simply peel it and boil it in a bit of salted water until tender and soft. You can cut Yautía as you would a potato; in slices, in cubes or just cook it whole. The end result is a yummy soft product that you can use as is, or you can mash, add olive oil and spices, or use in stews as you would use a potato. Tomorrow, my recipe of Turkey Meatballs over Yautía Cubes.  As I promised day before yesterday, here is the recipe. I have been eating this type of meal my whole life. I remember it growing up. Still to-date, it is a typical comfort food meal in Puerto Rico. I hope that you like it as much as I do. Smile. Category: Entrée Approx. Prep and Cook Time: 35 Minutes Approximate Cost: $6.95 or $3.48 per serving Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: Gluten Free Servings: 2+ Ingredients 4 top sirloin steaks ($2.50) 1 tbsp. Roasted garlic and herbs (.20) 1 tsp. Angie’s dry seasoning (.20) 2 tbsp. Angie’s basting olive oil (.40) 1 onion, sliced (.40) 1 c. parboiled rice ($1.00) 2 c. water 1 tbsp. Angie’s basting olive oil (.20) 2 tbsp. dry chopped onion flakes (.20) 1 tsp. Sazon Tropical (.20) 1 sofrito frozen disk (.20) 1 avocado ($1.25) 1 tbsp. Angie’s basting olive oil (.20) Directions Season the sirloin bistec steaks with 1 tbsp. Roasted garlic and herbs, 1 tsp. Angie’s dry seasoning and 2 tbsp. Angie’s basting olive oil. Refrigerate. Slice the onion, set aside. In a saucepan add 2 c. water, 1 tbsp. Angie’s basting olive oil, 2 tbsp. dry chopped onion flakes, 1 tsp. Sazon Tropical and 1 sofrito frozen disk. Bring to a boil. Add the 1 c. rice, stir, bring to a boil, stir. Reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes. Meantime, add 1 tbsp. Angie’s basting olive oil to a skillet and when sizzling, carefully add the sirloin bistec steaks. Cook until done, remove from skillet and add the sliced onion. Cook until golden brown. Slice the avocado and you are ready to plate this meal. Angie’s Dry Seasonings: http://www.angieslifehacks.com/family-life/oven-roasted-bacon-chicken-and-angies-seasonings Angie’s Basting Olive Oil: www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/the-flavor-series-recipe-2-angies-basting-olive-oil  I do this all the time with different cuts of meats. I recently purchased these top sirloin filets for a meal, however, at the last minute I decided that the portion was large enough to make two plus meals for 2 people, meaning 4 single servings. The first thing I did was to clean the filets from any visible fat. Then I took the larger portion and cut it into 4 steaks. I decided to make Bistec Encebollao (Onion smothered steaks) with half of the beef. So I smacked 4 filets to make them even more tender. (The Recipe and final dish coming up TOMORROW.) Secondly, I took the smaller filet, cut it in thin strips, put them in a plastic bag and froze to make Sirloin Tips Stir Fry with red peppers, onion, garlic and broccoli over white rice later during the week. It all worked perfectly. It was so ridiculous to prep the beef for all these meals (total 4 meals) for a mere $10.11 so each meal cost was about $2.50 each.  These Tostadas are not difficult to make at all. It is just that the cooking and assembly of the ingredients takes a bit of time. However, is the work involved worth it? Of course it is. They are super delicious and a show stopper on your table, smile. Category: Entrée Approx. Prep and Cook Time: under 30 Minutes Approximate Cost: $15.28 or $7.64 per serving Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: Gluten Free Servings: 4 Charras (2 per serving) Ingredients 2 cod filets (cut in bite sizes) ($4.50) ½ lb. large shrimp ($3.50) 1 tbsp. roasted garlic and herbs (.20) 1 tbsp. Angie’s basting olive oil (.40) 1 15 oz. can Pinto beans, rinsed, drained and mashed (.99) 1 tbsp. Angie’s dry seasoning (.30) 1 tbsp. Angie’s basting olive oil (.40) 1 tsp. roasted garlic and herbs (.20) 1 med. size onion, chopped (.30) 4 large cloves of garlic, chopped (.10) 1 avocado, cubed ($1.25) ½ c. chopped Cilantro (.20) 1 large vine tomato, cubed (.30) ½ c. red cabbage, chopped (.20) 1 tbsp. Angie’s dry seasoning (.30) 1 tbsp. Angie’s basting olive oil (.40) 4 Charras Tostadas (.75) 2 lemons (.99) Directions
Enjoy! Angie’s Dry Seasonings: http://www.angieslifehacks.com/family-life/oven-roasted-bacon-chicken-and-angies-seasonings Angie’s Basting Olive Oil: www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/the-flavor-series-recipe-2-angies-basting-olive-oil  Hey, I think that this happens to most of us. We buy the bananas, eat most of them and suddenly, some begin to turn dark on you. Well, I had one banana left and it was totally black, meaning, perfect for my banana bread that I haven’t make in a long time. Therefore, knowing that we have two wonderful friends. Ron and Linda, I decided to make a special small banana bread for 4 people, them and us. (Oh and don’t be nervous about the ingredients list, smile, you have most of the ingredients in your pantry.) Category: Dessert Approx. Prep and Cook Time: Under 40 Minutes Approximate Cost: $3.41 or .85 cents per serving Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: Contains Gluten, Eggs, Milk and peanut oil. Servings: 4 Ingredients 1 very ripe (black) banana (mashed) (.20) ½ c. All-purpose flour (.25) ½ c. organic sugar (.30) 2 tbsp. brown sugar (.10) ½ tsp. baking soda (.10) ½ tsp. Cinnamon (.10) ½ tsp. Nutmeg (.10) ½ tsp. ground ginger (.10) Pinch salt (0) 1 egg at room temperature (.16) 1 tbsp. peanut oil (.20) 1 tsp. vanilla extract ($1.00) ¼ c. unsalted butter .60) ½ c. evaporated milk (or buttermilk, or almond milk) (.20) Directions
HACK: Homemade Buttermilk: There are a couple of ways to make 1 cup of buttermilk if we don’t have it at home when a recipe calls for it. I usually mix ½ c. of milk with 1 ½ tsp. of lemon juice (or vinegar). I wait until the milk start to separate from the water, then whisk and add more milk to complete 1 cup. Done. |
ABOUT THE AuthorI am a blogger, a photographer, a jewelry designer, a gourmet cook, and a recipe book writer. I am also a flea market flipper, an avid gardener, an interior/ outdoors designer, an avid golfer and traveler. Categories |
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